[ahelo]

Well PA Works got one so why not SHAFT I guess. Plus a lot of people here love SHAFT amirite? (There was a thread discussing SHAFT a while back but it was mostly for hatred. This as you can say is the official one.)

SHAFT started increasing in popularity in 2004-2006 with series like Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase, Pani Poni Dash and Negima!?. This also the time Shinbo Ayuki came into scene. With Negima, they became a studio to watch out for as people started recognizing their very unique animation style. The popularity of this studio increased even more with big franchises like Hidamari Sketch and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. In 2009, they finally got a big break with Bakemonogatari, with DVD/Bluray sales reaching up to 80,000 per volume. It is even considered a turn/wave in the anime industry as producers realized that blurays sell like hotcakes. Currently they are getting another big break with Puella Magi Madoka Magica, in which preorders are hinting might just sell more than Bakemonogatari.

SHAFT is also a very mysterious studio as no one even knows how many people they are. They are shamefully notorious for finishing their works very late, the most famous one being the Bakemonogatari Episode 10 incident.

SHAFT's biggest appeal(or flaw depending on how you perceive them) is their unique art/animation. Sometimes they just bloster text everywhere or put real life pictures on certain scenes. One of the famous ones is the head-tilting wherein in a scene, all the characters get close ups with their heads tilting. This type of animation has won many fans to consider SHAFT as one of the leading studios today.

So opinions anyone?